For the last several decades, the assumed path for young adults is that they would graduate high school, receive some form of secondary education, get a job and start their own life. Increasingly, though, people in their 20s and 30s are returning home.

According to a Pew Research report, 36% of Americans aged 18 to 31 were living at home, compared to 32% in 2007. In the UK, nearly half of students leaving education in their early twenties will return home. This isn't all that unpredictable, though, given the fairly recent global recession:

Commenting on the findings, Stone said: "The study shows that completing higher education is one of the strongest determinants of returning to the parental home.

"With the labor market becoming more unpredictable, there are no guarantees of employment for graduates and where in past decades the expectation was that upon completion of their course they would move straight into employment, this can no longer be relied upon in the same way."

What about you? Have you ever returned to live with more financially stable parents after college, a job loss, or a bad breakup? Do you think it's more socially acceptable to return home in a down economy, or should young adults stick it out?